We are all accustomed to the fact that modern mobile devices almost always come with headphones or a headset. But their quality often leaves much to be desired, and only rare companies put in a set sane "plugs" that can somehow satisfy an unassuming listener. What to hide, Apple has followed a similar approach for many years, attaching the simplest earbuds to the iPhone and iPod, which by default should be sent to the basket immediately after opening the package with the device. But now the situation will change for the better: at the last presentation, the company introduced completely new headphones designed to open up new facets of comfort and sound quality to users. As you may have guessed, today we will focus on them.
Apple claims that it took them more than three years to develop the EarPods, during which engineers studied more than a million several hundred ears to create an optimal design. By inserting the headset into your ears, you should feel more than just convenience, but also an increase in one's own charisma in the eyes of others by 20%. In addition, to improve acoustics, special holes were created on the back and at the base of the headphones to facilitate air circulation inside the case.
Design
But this is all theory. In practice, the EarPods do sit quite tightly in the ear canal. However, the impressions are purely individual. I have suspicions that someone's headphones will dangle and fall out all the time. So if your ears are different from the average optimal form revealed during testing by Apple engineers - don't blame me.
The absence of rubber plugs negates almost any possible discomfort from prolonged wearing of the headset. But even the most minimal sound insulation in this case is out of the question. All external sounds will be mixed with the music, so you won't be able to comfortably use the headset in transport. But on a jog in the park - please.
The control panel has changed a bit. It has become larger, and the decorative grill for the microphone, which informed users about its presence, has completely disappeared - a miniature image now flaunts in its place.
For the first time in a set with an iPhone or iPod, headphones are not just rolled up with a film, but packed in a cool plastic box. I would like to call it a case, but it will not work for everyday use. Tucking your headset neatly into it is tricky, and you’re unlikely to do it after every listen.
Sound
The sound of the EarPods has improved by an order of magnitude. As promised by Apple engineers, their headphones finally appeared bass... You can listen to music practically without frowning. I would not call the sound really surround, but now such a term as "volume" is at least applicable to complete headphones. The mids are worked out well, but on complex melodies, the EarPods frankly fail, turning everything into a mess. High frequencies are poorly represented, so the detail is poor. Bass is noticeably dominant, making the headphones sound similar to the inexpensive Scullcandy models.
In general, EarPods play "well". You shouldn't expect something supernatural from them, but the headset copes with its task quite well. You don't want to throw it away right after the purchase, and for the unassuming listener, it can be an excellent alternative to any simple plugs. Especially if you are much more concerned about the comfort of the fit than the sound quality.
Apple has set the price tag at $ 29.99 and is bundled with all new iPhone and iPod models, except for the Shuffle. Retail value is fully consistent with any other products of the company. It is difficult to call it high or low, because we are talking about Apple. It is possible that the EarPods are some of the best earbuds you can find on the market. Therefore, it is all the more pleasant to find them bundled with your smartphone. The new headphones are bound to have fans who will only use them because of the design. There will be people who will switch to EarPods from previous Earphones and will be shocked by the seriously increased quality. The company will definitely sell another 600 million headsets. And here nothing matters, except that it is Apple.
The Apple AirPods Wireless Earbuds (available since late 2016) are a truly exciting product! But this does not mean that they are perfect: like any other thing, they have their own shortcomings, and, moreover, very serious ones. We'll talk about them now.
1. Price
2. EarPods have more control over music
Apple wired headphones have physical buttons to control your music library on the fly.
As a result, the user can perform routine operations without even taking the iPhone out of his pocket:
- Play / Pause;
- Volume control - buttons "+" and "-";
- Pause / Play - the central button of the remote control;
- Go to the next track - quickly press the center button twice;
- Skip to the previous track - quickly press the center button three times;
- Fast forward the track - quickly press and hold the center button twice;
- Rewind the track - quickly press and hold the center button three times.
And what about AirPods? They have no fast forward or rewind functions. Now Apple only allows you to assign one function to each headphone - for example, you can pause and play on the left headphone, and go to the next song on the right. And you won't be able to use Siri's help or, for example, just go back to the previous song.
3. EarPods - somehow look better
Compare these two pictures and feel the difference:
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was ridiculed online for wearing AirPods this way:
4. EarPods do not need to be charged
They do not need an energy source to work. All you need to do is connect the EarPods to your iPhone (note - if you have headphones without a Lightning connector and an iPhone 7 or newer, you will need an adapter).
But AirPods need to be recharged, and you will have to do this quite often - one charge is enough for about 5 hours of operation. If you are a music lover, this is a problem.
From almost any, even the smallest, update to its product line, Apple strives to make a revolution. What can we say about the headphones, the design of which has been unchanged since 2001. No, of course, Apple In-Ear was presented back in 2008 based on "reinforcing" emitters - but at a price of $ 79, apparently, they did not gain much popularity - there are no updates, and Apple has somehow forgotten about them. This is the feeling, anyway.
On our site there were as many as two Apple In-Ear reviews, if interested, I recommend that you familiarize yourself. By the way, the price for these headphones in Russia is from 3 to 4 thousand rubles, you should beware of fakes, there are a lot of them on the market.
Today we are going to talk about Apple's new earphones called EarPods. The company presents them as a mini-revolution, in some ways this is true, in others it is not. But first things first.
Packaging and equipment
The headphones were kindly provided to me from the kit of the new iPhone 5, so I suppose there shouldn't be a question of originality. On the other hand, there is not much to talk about packaging - there is only a hard carrying case.
The packaging of EarPods, sold separately, looks like this:
Since the price of these headphones is only $ 29 (plus tax), nothing negative can be said. Beautiful, minimalistic - as usual with Apple. The case, frankly, is inconvenient - the headphones look impressive in it, but only a very persistent person will regularly take out and remove the EarPods into the complete case.
I had an idea to record a video, but then I found very good unboxing on YouTube, I recommend that you read:
Appearance and ease of use
EarPods look, at least, unusual, you can come up with a variety of associations with the appearance. The body is made of milky plastic, the assembly is excellent, the details fit perfectly - at first you don’t even notice that there is a seam between the earphone body and the “overlay” in the shape of a bell, this can be seen only upon closer examination.
The bell is the company's know-how, although similar solutions have already been used more than once in the form of rubber nozzles on the liners. A plastic nozzle with a metal mesh is also used here. The company says it did a massive study, used computer simulations - virtual earbuds (scanned from real people) were plugged into virtual ears, and the EarPods should be as comfortable as ever.
Well. Compared to conventional earpods, the EarPods are definitely a step forward. But, alas, the plastic case does not allow the headphones to be fixed in the ear as it should - if it were rubberized, it would be all right, otherwise they do not hold on like ordinary “plugs”. It should be noted that my "earbuds" (as opposed to "plugs") in my ears barely hold. If the overall fit of the earbuds suits you, you'll love the EarPods. In short, there is no revolution, and we should expect rubber pads, attachments and other things - unlikely from Apple, rather from third-party manufacturers.
No magic happened with noise isolation, the acoustic windows of the headphones pass noise well. That is, for home, work, street, maybe even a bus - it's okay. For the subway - not worth it, take care of your ears.
The remote control is standard for Apple, there is a player control, volume control, a microphone (very high quality). The cable is of high quality, soft, with a slight microphone effect. There is a slider for connecting the wires after the separator, there is little use from it.
Sound
Headphones were tested with Hifiman HM-801 players (with Game Card amplifier) and iBasso DX100. The test disk used was Prime Test CD1.
I would like to approach the assessment of the sound of EarPods with the utmost rigor - I read that they were compared with very expensive headphones. Apparently, this is due to some kind of Apple magic that does not work for me, and here's why.
Low frequencies are well spelled out, there is minimal hum, you get used to it quickly. There is no need to talk about some kind of high detail, here it is more likely in the amount of bass - this is the "trick" of the EarPods. The trumpet acts, I believe, in the role of a resonator - hence the large number of low frequencies. On simple tracks, this is a plus, on complex EarPods they stumble. I don't want to mislead you - the bass is not that much, but I would like to have less.
The mids are for my taste, slightly failed, the vocals lack naturalness, they are pushed into the background. On the other hand, there is no sharpness, sibilance, whistle.
High frequencies - there are not many of them, but at the same time the headphones manage not to become deaf (rather, a little deaf), and the advantages are obvious - again, there is no sharpness.
The stereo panorama is not very wide, practically without volume. Arrangement of instruments - on the "C".
The attack is good, if we are not talking about the low-frequency segment.
As a result, the headphones can be called universal, since there are no genres that would sound out of hand on them, or, on the contrary, wonderful. Let me remind you that we are talking about complete headphones for the phone - albeit a flagship one, and they are sold separately for $ 30.
Compatibility
Of course, with Apple iPhone 4 (as well as 5) EarPods play well, there is a decent volume margin (about half the scale), the microphone and remote work perfectly.
Competitors
For $ 30, I suppose, there are simply no competitors - because sometimes people need just "earbuds", and EarPods set a new level in this segment. In the end, you shouldn't recommend purchasing YUIN for $ 100-200 - now you can safely offer EarPods. But it is worth noting that while the price for them in Russia is about 2.5 thousand rubles, this is expensive. For 1.5 thousand rubles, they are worth buying, and for 2.5 I would look in the direction of the "plugs". After all, for 3 thousand you can already find In-Ear.
Comparison with Apple Earphones
I'll start with external changes. In addition to the design of the "earbuds" themselves, the design of the cambric has changed slightly - they have become tighter to encircle the cable, which, in my opinion, should improve such a parameter of the headphones as durability. Also, cambric around the remote control was added, and the remote control itself became larger, while losing the hole for the microphone.
Noise isolation from EarPods is better than that of Apple Earphones, the fit is also better - but not as noticeable as if you switched to “plugs”, the same In-Ear.
The internal changes are worth looking at the well-known iFixIt, they are not interesting to everyone, so I give a link.
Now - about the sound. If the EarPods sport low frequencies, then the Earphones, on the contrary, stick out the middle and top. As a result, the sound is brighter, louder and dirtier in places, and you have to forget about the bass. Earphones are ordinary "earbuds", without claims to high sound quality. Due to the brightened high frequencies, the scene is wider than that of the EarPods, the detail seems to be higher.
Generally speaking, I seriously don't understand how you can listen to music on Apple Earphones. On EarPods, you can, and even need to.
Conclusion
For $ 30, the EarPods are a great choice among earbuds. But now, in the wake of the excitement, you can buy these headphones at a price of 1.5 (if ordered on eBay) to 2.5 thousand rubles (if bought in Russia). Here for 1.5 - if you don’t digest the “plugs” - take it, I think, it will not be so long to wait for a drop in prices.
For the complete set of headphones for a player or phone, everything is fine, I think many people will remain with EarPods, and maybe even more than those using the previous Apple Earphones.
The editors would like to thank the iCases.ru store for the Apple EarPods provided for the test.
Ilya Tarakanov ()
AirPods come with earbuds in a case, a set of instructions, and a Lightning cable.
Case
The case has rounded edges, fits well in the hand and fits in any pocket. Opening and closing the lid is a special pleasure, transforming the headphone case into an alternative to anti-stress toys.
On the back side there is a button for connecting to Android devices and pairing with iOS devices, and on the bottom side there is a charging jack.
Over time, a dark coating forms under the lid, which must be cleaned. It is not clear where it comes from: the case is always closed, no one touches it with dirty hands. Judging by the reviews, many AirPods owners are engaged in periodic cleaning of cases. What to do, the costs of design in white colors.
Another nuance is the backlash of the lid when it moves from side to side (not in the direction of opening). There are no scenarios in which it would be necessary to move the lid in this way, but such roughness in Apple's technique is frustrating, at least because they are rare.
Magnets are hidden inside the case, with the help of which the headphones literally fly into the case. The lid is also magnetized when closed, so AirPods can be safely thrown to the bottom of the bag - the headphones won't fall out or get lost.
Headphones
At first glance, the wireless earbuds seem to be the same EarPods, but without wires and with slightly thicker legs. If you do not take into account the technofarsh hidden in these legs, then these are EarPods. And that's cool. It's not even about skeuomorphism and continuity. It's just really a very comfortable and rather versatile form of headphones.
If doubts before purchasing AirPods are associated with the fear of losing a dropped earphone, then we is in a hurry to dispel them: the earbuds are held securely. The main reason for EarPods to fall out is the wires that constantly pull the headphones down. They are not here.
The real danger is the habit brought up over the years to take off one of the headphones when talking and let it go. The EarPods would remain dangling from the wire, and the wireless earbud would simply fall to the ground. However, you can rebuild in a couple of days, and for the most unlucky ones, there are special silicone laces on sale that connect the headphones together.
Sound
Sound performance is the most important part of any headphone review, but definitely the most boring when it comes to AirPods. As in the case of the wired predecessor, here we get a not very ambitious, even and slightly tinted sound in the middle and high frequencies.
For lovers of precise specifications, we borrowed the frequency response graph from the French portal Les Numeriques.
This is a good result for urban in-ear headphones that do not claim to be an audiophile device. Still, AirPods are not loved at all for the sound, although they do an excellent job with the requests of the average user.
Exploitation
Pairing AirPods with an Apple device is easy. The W1 chip, specially designed for headphones, is responsible for fast synchronization. Flip open the case and iPhone automatically recognizes AirPods.
Confirm the pairing by pressing a single button on the headphone case - and that's it, the pair has been created and has already spread to all synchronized devices. From now on, even pressing the button is not required - the broadcast will be automatically transferred to AirPods if they are inserted into the ears.
There are no buttons on the headphones. The only possible control gesture is a double tap. The best I've come up with is start and pause on the right earbud, and Siri on the left. Another way to pause playback is to remove one of the headphones.
It's hard to get used to the new navigation system. In this regard, EarPods are still more convenient. One or two buttons to control playback are not enough, and Siri is not a panacea. For example, I am still embarrassed to use it in public places.
To answer the call, you also need to tap the earpiece twice. The quality of the outgoing sound is excellent due to the work of the active noise cancellation system. Therefore, with AirPods, you can talk to friends or call Siri even in a crowded and relatively noisy place.
If you bring an open case to the iPhone, the charging data of the case and headphones will appear on the screen. In addition, in the "Batteries" widget, you can see the charge of each of the earbuds. The fact is that they are identical in filling, each can be used as a headset. In this case, the sound will be broadcast in mono, and the battery life of AirPods will double.
AirPods can also work in conjunction with all iOS devices with iOS 10 and higher, Apple Watch with watchOS 3 and higher, as well as computers with macOS 10.12 and higher. In addition, the headphones can be used with any devices that support the Bluetooth 4.0 standard. The "magic" promised by the developers will disappear in this case, but, as users of Android smartphones assure, it is quite comfortable to carry AirPods with their devices. True, there is no Siri, but with the help of third-party software, you can make Google Assistant respond to tapping.
Battery
Fully charged earbuds and case can last 24 hours of listening time and 11 hours of talk time. Without a case, the headphones will work for five hours. Moreover, they charge very quickly: in 15 minutes they gain an amount of charge sufficient to play music for another three hours.
This means that discharging your device will never take you by surprise. One has only to charge the case with headphones every 3-4 days and not listen to music for five hours.
Verdict
- you are already fully equipped with Apple and want to supplement the collection with one more utilitarian device;
- you are tired of interrupted EarPods cables, but the headphones themselves are completely fine with you;
- you are looking for wireless headphones that won't take up much space in your bag.
- you are constantly losing everything;
- you live in an underdeveloped region, where an exotic gadget can cause unwanted attention;
- you are an audiophile, to whom the frequency response, THD and other incomprehensible abbreviations are more important than anything else.
And most importantly: do not forget that the choice of headphones is always highly individual. If you like some Sennheiser or Koss more than EarPods, then purchasing a wireless version of your unloved headphones for 12 thousand rubles is not the best idea.
But if you want to get the most out of Apple technology, are accustomed to the ergonomics and sound of EarPods, and like to experience the aesthetic and tactile pleasure of gadgets, then AirPods will definitely appeal to you.
A pleasant but expensive gift for connoisseurs of apple products
Along with the new iPhones, Apple announced another curious device: AirPods wireless headphones. For the first time Apple releases Bluetooth headphones, but this decision was obvious - the new iPhones do not have a 3.5 mm headset jack, so owners of the iPhone 7/7 Plus either have to use an adapter or carry branded headphones with a Lightning connector.
And in general, wires do not really fit into Apple's aesthetics, especially as those of headphones - fragile, constantly failing, tangled in unimaginable knots in your pocket. Anyone who has used Apple smartphones or players for a long time knows that headphones (for all their beauty and, admittedly, good sound) are practically consumables.
So the release of AirPods was ripe and it turned out to be completely logical. True, fans of the company could be disappointed by two facts: firstly, AirPods are not supplied with a smartphone, they must be purchased separately, and secondly, Apple did not have time to release headphones simultaneously with the iPhone 7/7 Plus.
Equipment
Let's say right off the bat: AirPods are a product that, despite their seeming simplicity, feels the magic of Apple. And this magic begins with a box: square, white, but with a convex glossy image of the headphones.
When we open the box, we get a new wave of pleasant emotions: inside is a traditional envelope with leaflets / guides, and under it is a Lightning cable and a rectangular box made of white glossy plastic, but with strongly rounded sides. It contains the headphones themselves.
We open the lid of the box (it is magnetized, so to lift it, you need to make a little effort - and this is a separate pleasure). And we see two headphones. Each of them is again held in place by a magnet, so some resistance must be overcome to pull them out.
Now for the fun part: this white plastic box isn't just packaging. This is a docking station. When the headphones are in it, they are charging, as evidenced by a colored LED indicator. When the earbuds are charging, it flashes red, and when they are fully charged, it glows green.
In addition, the LED indicator may turn white if you press the flat white button on the back of the dock. It is needed to connect headphones to Apple devices that are not signed in to iCloud. We will tell you more about connecting AirPods to different gadgets below.
Of course, the dock itself needs to be charged too, and for this there is a Lightning connector at the bottom of it. Thus, the same cable can be used for this as used to charge the iPhone.
Design
Externally, AirPods look very similar to traditional EarPods, except, of course, the lack of wires. The shape of the "droplets" themselves is almost identical. And, it should be noted, this is a good decision, since the shape of the Apple headphones is really optimal.
However, a close comparison of AirPods and EarPods reveals a number of differences that are quite significant in terms of functionality. Firstly, the leg of the AirPods is longer and thicker than that of the EarPods, which is quite logical: after all, there is an Apple W1 processor, an accelerometer, a battery, and a Bluetooth module. Secondly, next to the miniature speaker grill, we see proximity sensors on the front and back on the AirPods (they are not in the EarPods). AirPods know when you put them in your ears and when they pulled them out!
And the third difference: AirPods have more microphone holes, including the legs located at the bottom. And this is understandable, because one of the main scenarios for their use is as a Bluetooth headset and at the same time as a Siri call device.
An interesting solution (already related not to functionality, but to the appearance of the product) is the metal edging of the lower part. It may seem alien (although it does not seem so to us), but at the same time it creates a completeness of the image.
Note that AirPods sit well in the ears, do not fall out with sudden head movements. However, we cannot guarantee that on the street, for example, when running, they will not jump out at the most inopportune moment. Perhaps this is the most risky moment.
As for the subjective assessment of the appearance, then, in our opinion, it is beautiful in itself. But there is a caveat: a person with these headphones looks rather strange. From the outside it may seem that this is some kind of strange jewelry in the ears, a hearing aid or something else. Everyone has long been accustomed to the look of Bluetooth headsets, even more so to ordinary headphones, but here it is something different.
This fact, as well as the hypothetical probability of losing an earphone (at least one), stops you from purchasing AirPods and using them outdoors. However, we admit that this is a matter of habit.
Connecting and interacting with iPhone
The magic continues when we decide that it's time to stop admiring and it's time to connect the headphones to the iPhone and start using them for their intended purpose. So, internally preparing for the need to press some buttons, go into the Bluetooth settings on the smartphone, make one after another connection attempts, we open the docking station cover, putting the iPhone next to it - and immediately we see a window that appears on it with an image of headphones and a proposal connect them.
After connecting, this window will display the charge of both the headphones themselves and the docking station. Well, in order to get started, you just need to insert headphones into your ears, hear a beep and play music on your iPhone.
If you take one earbud out of your ear while music is playing, it will automatically pause. If you remove both earbuds, playback will end.
The Siri challenge is just as simple. It is enough to tap your finger twice on any earphone - and Siri is activated.
As for incoming and outgoing calls, in the first case, they automatically go to the headphones, and in the second, when dialing a number on the iPhone, we can choose whether the sound will go to the headphones or to the smartphone's speakers.
Connecting to Apple Watch
One of the most exciting things AirPods can do is work together with the Apple Watch. Starting with watchOS 3.0, the watch can be used as a music player without an iPhone connection, that is, play music stored directly in the Apple Watch memory. But, of course, you need wireless headphones for this. AirPods are ideal for this task.
However, the connection scheme here is a little more complicated than in the case of the iPhone. First, you need to download music to your watch - for this you need to go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, open the "Music" section and sync it with your watch. It is important that music can only sync with the watch when it is connected to a charger (even if the watch is already charged).
After the music is synced to the Apple Watch, you need to launch the Music application on the watch and select the watch from the two playback sources. After that, go to the "Settings" on the watch, select Bluetooth and click on the AirPods (although, perhaps, they will be automatically connected).
That's it, then you can play music directly from the watch, transferring it to the headphones without an intermediary in the form of an iPhone. This means that you can, for example, not take your smartphone with you to the gym or for a run.
The sound quality when playing music from the watch is no different from that when using a smartphone. But we will talk about this issue in more detail later.
Connecting to other devices
To use AirPods, it is recommended to have a device running macOS Sierra, iOS 10 or watchOS 3. We described how to connect AirPods to iPhone and Apple Watch, and here we will explain how synchronization with iPad and MacBook or iMac works.
On a computer running macOS Sierra, click on the volume speaker in the top menu bar and select AirPods in the Output Device section. On the iPad, the scheme is the same as in the case of the iPhone, but if you are not logged into an iCloud account there or automatic connection fails for some other reason, open the dock with headphones, press and hold the button on the dock - and wait for the headphone window to appear.
The same scheme works with devices from other manufacturers. Many sites (including discussions on the official Apple website) report that the headphones are incompatible with smartphones, tablets and laptops on other operating systems. However, we tested the AirPods with the OnePlus 3 smartphone and found that they also connect to it and work quite well.
However, there are two nuances. Firstly, before you start playing music, the headphones emit a small background noise (hiss) and an unpleasant click sounds every few seconds - as if there is a connection or some kind of switching. Secondly, during music playback, this background noise, albeit barely noticeable, still remains. We emphasize that all this does not apply to Apple devices from the list of officially supported ones. But we'll talk about this in the next section.
Sound quality and runtime
Even before the "face-to-face" acquaintance, the most important concern for us was the sound quality. Bluetooth headphones are famous for background noise and serious degradation of sound, and this often applies even to expensive models. But Apple wouldn’t be itself if it hadn’t achieved a sound almost indistinguishable from wired EarPods.
As for the duration of work on a single charge, the headphones can provide about five hours of sound. That is, there are about five albums. Decent result! And given that to recharge them, it is enough to put them in the docking station (and, literally for 15 minutes - this will provide about three more hours of sound), the problem “the headphones were discharged at the most inopportune moment” is unlikely to arise.
conclusions
There is something to love about AirPods: beautiful design, the most convenient docking station, maximum intuitiveness, excellent sound quality, but most importantly, the very magic of Apple, which is felt most clearly in this product. Every moment of interaction with AirPods is a pleasure, many details of both software and hardware delight and delight like a child's toy.
Is this joy worth nearly 13,000? Here everyone can decide for himself, depending on his income and the threshold for spontaneous purchases. This is definitely not the most necessary thing, in some ways even controversial from the point of view of practical use (we are talking about wearing them on the street), but very pleasant. A perfect gift for Apple lovers.
Apple AirPods deserve our Original Design awards for original solutions that combine usability, functionality and great looks.
